When Colonel John S. Scott came fresh from making a reputation with the Army of Virginia as a scout to form the First Louisiana Cavalry, Howell Carter was first in line. He served this Confederate cavalry regiment throughout much dangerous and bloody fighting. In this well-written and exciting account of the First Louisiana Cavalry, Howell paints the broad sweep of the American Civil War as he saw it on horseback in Company E. Articulate and witty, he also manages to entertain along the way, and he warns the reader: "...if the language in some conversations should sound coarse or indecorous it is because plain unvarnished tales are being told."